benny blanco & Juice WRLD

With dozens of number one hits under his belt, producer Benny Blanco churns out bright pop confections much like contemporaries Dr. Luke, Ryan Tedder, Max Martin, and Stargate. Starting in the late 2000s, the award-winning (and Grammy-nominated) songwriter crafted hit singles for artists such as Ed Sheeran, Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, and more, penning multiple chart-toppers in the process, including Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” and Maroon 5′s “Moves Like Jagger,” racking up over 100 million album sales. He made his solo debut in 2018 the platinum-selling Friends Keep Secrets LP, then followed it with a sequel EP in 2021.
Born Benjamin Levin, the Reston, Virginia native started as a bedroom producer, inspired at a young age by Aqua and Bryan Adams. While still a teenager, he released a collaborative album with Spank Rock titled Spank Rock and Benny Blanco Are...Bangers & Cash. Soon after, he received crucial mentorship by Disco D and later Dr. Luke, starting his swift ascent to the top of the pop charts. Early hits included Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” and “Hot N Cold,” as well as Kesha’s “Tik Tok” and Britney Spears’ “Circus.” In the 2010s, Blanco added further hits to his discography with Perry and Kesha, while at the same time fostering relationships with soon-to-be frequent collaborators Maroon 5, Sheeran, Bieber, Rixton, and many more. Tapping into multiple genres, he produced for country singer Keith Urban, R&B diva Rihanna, teen pop starlet Ariana Grande, indie outfits Passion Pit and Francis and the Lights, and Diplo’s electro-dancehall project Major Lazer.
In 2018, in addition to penning tracks for Cardi B, Anne-Marie, and Juice WRLD, Blanco joined Kanye West for his Wyoming Sessions projects, contributing to Ye, Kids See Ghosts, and Nasir. That summer, he issued his debut single, the multi-platinum Top Ten “Eastside,” with help from Halsey and Khalid. The song later landed on his debut, Friends Keep Secrets (Interscope), which arrived in late 2018. The album also included the hits “I Found You” with Calvin Harris and “Roses” with Juice Wrld and Brendon Urie. Another collaboration with Juice Wrld, “Graduation,” arrived in 2019, alongside “I Can’t Get Enough” with Tainy, Selena Gomez, and J Balvin. More tracks followed, including 2020′s Grammy-nominated “Lonely” with Justin Bieber and 2021′s “You” with Marshmello and Vance Joy, the latter of which appeared on Blanco’s Friends Keep Secrets 2 EP. 2022′s “Bad Decisions” featured more high-profile collaborations, this time with BTS and Snoop Dogg. ~ Neil Z. Yeung